On a warm evening on Sept 28 I had the utmost privilege of seeing Ken Stringfellow (originally from the Posies) with friends, (Jesse Chandler of Midlake on keys/vox, Jonathan Donahue of Mercury Rev on guitar/vox, Grasshopper of Mercury Rev on guitar/harmonica/vox) perform in a church in Seattle’s Phinney neighborhood across the street from the zoo. …
I’m sure that an editor or two – and possibly a few peeps – might be curious as to my thoughts on Hugh Hefner’s passing. And so, on a borrowed laptop while on vacation, here goes: One has to be of a certain age, startlingly enough, to realize the influence of Hefner’s Playboy magazine in …
Eating from your yard tip~ If you haven’t already done so this is a good time to fill your herb cabinet with your favorite kitchen herbs for cooking this winter. As a general rule it is best to harvest herbs mid~morning after the dew has dried and before the heat of the day. This is …
Cheap Trick will rock in the Yuletide season with the release of their first holiday themed album CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS, out October 20 on Big Machine Records. Arriving mere months after their critically-acclaimed 18th studio album WE’RE ALL ALRIGHT!, Cheap Trick co-produced the holiday collection alongside their longtime collaborator, GRAMMY® Award winner Julian Raymond (Glen Campbell, …
Ken Stringfellow is coming to Portland with his new supergroup, Tears of Silver, on Wednesday night, Sept. 27 and to Seattle the following day, Sept. 28. There’s more info at the Facebook event page below. It will be a pop-up all ages show at a location which will only be revealed to ticket holders on …
Last Saturday the Punk In Drublic tour kicked off in Tacoma, WA and I had the esteemed privilege of sitting down for a chat with front man and founding member of Goldfinger, John Feldmann. I found him to be very congenial, intelligent and passionate (but he wouldn’t be the artist he is without passion). Having …
“Buckle up, hold on to your Cubs caps, and watch as the two most exciting weeks of the 2017 season are about to unfold.” As I noted in my last piece for this hallowed blog, at this year’s All-Star break, the defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs were just about as average an MLB team …
It’s Tuesday night in Seattle and two great punk bands are playing at two different locations. Should I hang with the Irish and go see Stiff Little Fingers for their 40th anniversary tour or should I go to the Crocodile to see Australia’s The Living End. Decisions, decisions. Of all the 365 nights in a …
Eating from your yard tip ~ the fennel seeds are turning brown and ready to harvest! Fennel is in my top five favorite herbs. I carry a container of fennel seeds in my purse to ease coughs, upset tummies and freshen up breath. All parts of fennel are edible. Some people get upset because their …
Filmed in Portland, with city leaders and local residents appearing as themselves, this is a 1957 CBS movie presentation narrated by actor Glenn Ford which shows the supposedly orderly manner with which Portlanders would react when they found out Russian planes are on their way to drop a hydrogen bomb downtown. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Day_Called_X Here Is Portland’s …
Forty years ago the #4 ranked Oklahoma Sooners traveled to Ohio to play the #3 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. I was home alone when I sat in my living room in Minnesota to watch the football game. This represented the first time I ever saw the exciting wishbone offense, which Oklahoma ran with QB Thomas …
On September 16th a major punk event is coming to Tacoma, WA. At the Le May Car Museum from noon to 10 p.m. major punk bands like NOFX, Bad Religion, Less Than Jake, Goldfinger, Bad Cop Bad Cop all on one bill for one glorious afternoon/evening. This is part of a west coast tour, but …
The versatile eggplant is sliced, cubed, mushed, breaded, stir fried, baked and fried all around the world except up in the far northern tundra. Maria Baher-Olomi bakes sliced eggplant then serves it with a yogurt and spearmint sauce. My Joy of Cooking cookbook is marked to open on page 74 baba ghanoush (roasted eggplant dip). …
My recent NFL post included the following: Speaking of which, NFL owners made a very short-sighted decision with their blacklist, informal or otherwise. Somehow, they appear to have forgotten that 75% of NFL players are black, with many of them having likely experienced firsthand the issues with law enforcement that Kap had protested. Two weeks …
Photos posted today in The Atlantic of wildfires in the West. Portland residents may be particularly interested in those of the Eagle Creek fire along the Columbia River. The first two, taken from the Washington side of the river across from Cascade Locks, are quite dramatic. https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2017/09/wildfires-rage-across-the-american-west/538977/ – Chuck Strom
The title is not a misprint. When I arrived in San Francisco to see the Giants on Friday, the temperature was 102 degrees. The high had been 106, smashing all previous records and reversing the normal weather pattern of cooling temperatures on the Bay inversely proportional to the summer heat of the Central Valley, as …
This new orchestral arrangement of “Magazine,” by Kaki King is too good to pass up. Give it a listen immediately One of King’s most well known solo compositions, “Magazine”, was originally released on her 2004 album Legs to Make Us Longer, and is now given a symphonic sendup by the Porta Girevole Chamber Orchestra. The …
This tune has a modicum of stone cold coolishness. Give it a listen. With their debut Lovegame, RMR made it clear that they’re not shying away from having a little fun in the bedroom. But, turns out the guys are kinda shy after all, since they prefer those games with the lights down low. With …
Eating from your yard tip ~ there are many basils with different tastes, colors of leaves and flowers. I have it on good authority from two elderly tipsy Italian women that purple opal basil is the key to a good marinara. Both the basil flowers and leaves are edible. A traditional basil pairing is tomato, …
“Service with a smile,” the customer said sarcastically as I opened the taxicab door for him. “Two months to live. Liver is gone,” he continued, apparently referring to himself. “I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, not knowing what else to say. “Once you get to know me, you won’t be sorry.” He chuckled bleakly. …
Two weeks ago the Wall Street Journal featured an article in its Life and Arts section called, “What Happened to the Negative Review?” Writer Neil Shah posited that critics these days are less able to interview musical artists; instead, they rely on self-promotion in this digital era. Shah also wrote that critics are more likely …
My Facebook friend Sharry Debolt (nee Konopski) left this earth August 25 after a long battle with lung cancer. She was a really nice, cool gal who said very lovely things to me before and after my wife died last year. Though we had little in common besides cancer and living in the same state, …
Photos of Houston posted this morning. Lots more rain to come. https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2017/08/hurricane-harvey-leaves-houston-under-water/538215/ – Chuck Strom
The Atlantic’s photo section just posted these pics of the damage from Hurricane Harvey on the Texas Gulf Coast: https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2017/08/photos-the-aftermath-of-hurricane-harvey/538143/ Reported casualties were minimal after the first day, but it’s usually in the days and weeks following that we get a true indication of the scale of the disaster. In this case, the critical factor …
Record collectors you may know or resemble: 1) can’t admit to not knowing an obscure band or LP: “Of course I know that private press from 1978, why wouldn’t I?” 2) Never likes anything you play for them: they always need to discover it themselves, then bring it to you. 3) Hates successful bands past …
In the recent discussion about San Francisco 49ers ex-QB Colin Kaepernick’s extended vacation, the focus has been much more on the politics of the situation than what he would likely contribute on the field. Some thoughts on the latter are in order. The Kap who came within five yards of adding a sixth Lombardi Trophy …
[Ed. Note – The author first penned these words on August 24, 2013] It’s so mindblowingly remarkable how our American society survives by avoiding realities. The middle class, the poor… will give another dollar for a problem to go away for another week. “Mister, we don’t want any trouble.” “Here, take it, it’s all I …
One of the most glaringly stupid ideas I have encountered is the assumption that if the society collapses the ability to shoot a gun will be key to survival. It’s not. The real race will be to go after the libraries. When the light goes out the only way to turn them back on physically …
Being influenced by African and European music is a damn good thing. Anybody who tells you any different has no clue about Western Music. It’s like this mighty river where two other mighty rivers combine; and as rough as the waters may be, the undercurrent is even stronger. As ugly as our past is, the …
Eating from your yard tip ~ Hooray the garlic chives are in flower! Few people are more fond of invasive plants than I am, but my friend it is in your best interest to utilize the garlic chives flowers before the prolific self seeders take over the garden. The leaves and flowers are edible garlic …